Random thoughts from a few cantankerous American physicians. All contributors are board certified. Various specialties are represented here. I do not know where this will lead but hope it will at least be an enjoyable read. All of the names mentioned in this blog are pseudonyms, the ages have been changed, and in half the cases the gender as well. All photographs are published with patient consent or are digitally altered to preserve anonymity. Trust us, we're doctors.

Your ad here...

Contact us for rates.

Sponsored Sites

Thursday, June 14, 2007

This is terrible. We will never hear the whole story. A "LosAngeles Hospital" is in huge shit trouble now and this poor woman is dead. The story is a bit confusing because she is placed both in "the hospital lobby" (in which case a "Code Blue" should have been called and doctors and nurses should have run to the lobby) or she was the E.D. lobby in which case the triage system failed miserably.

A million dollars says that there is much more to this story that, if told, would make this less shocking. As the lawyers on both sides are already flexing though we will never hear it. This kind of publicity will generate a settlement, and soon.

And hey, which presidential candidate from will be the first to cite this case and bend it to their agenda? Odds?

While "bouncebacks" should always raise a red flag, especially for abdominal pain, I would be interested in hearing the mitigating circumstances too. But I bet we never will.

Had she gotten a CT scan on her previous visit? Was this her 20th visit for abdominal pain with several negative workups? Had she been a histrionic screamer on previous visits? Was she thought to be a drug seeker? Otherwise, I can't conceive how this might have happened.

There is no doubt much more to this story. But it could also shed light on how the symstem is filled to the max with illegals,(I don't know if she was one, but at this Harbor hospital they serve a bundle) as is the school system in LA county. There will be no "fixing" of the system, and the only winner will be some John Edwards type scumbag lawyer.

'cat et al.,in residency i had a patient who called 911 five times from a bed in the ED. she was coming down off crack and was paranoid. finally the police called our CLERK who put them in touch with me and the officer asked me if i would take the phone away from the patient as they were sick of getting calls from her and was diverting resources. i then went into the patient's room and she looked like i was an avenging angel. i calmed her down and took the phone away assuring her that she was safe and would be cared for well. i couldn't do anything about the bugs under her skin though because i couldn't see them.

Wow, it is a wild story. I'm curious as heck about the particulars. Hard to know from the media because there are so many details that are obviously left out---the story seemed disjointed. But 'cat is probably right---the only winner will be a lawyer....

1. the ED was full and the waits were in the multiples of hours2. the patient's presenting vital signs and complaint got her triaged as non-urgent3. the patient was a frequent-flier at that ED and had been admitted multiple times for various complaints including abdominal pain and chest paint and the workups had been negative4. she was an alcoholic5. she had been seen within a couple of days of her death at the same ED6. she was a drug seeker7. based on the above she moved herself off the nurses radar8. she was taking lots of aspirin or motrin for her 'pain'10. she had a bleeding ulcer or esophageal varix at presentation but appeared stable11. the doctors and nurses were wrong about her this one time

if 80% of the above guesses are not correct then color me surprised. this patient IS THE EXACT EXAMPLE OF WHY PATIENTS IN THE EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT GET WORKED-UP EVERY TIME, REGARDLESS. it's also one of the many reasons why medicine in america is so costly.

I bet it may be the frequent flyer theory, but normal vitals could also be thrown in there. Every now and then pts with 30 -40 visits to the ED will DIE, and it amazes me how everyone says "Oh my gosh, he/she died!". The key to the game is to not be the last one to see the patient in the ED. They usually die from something unrelated to the 40 visits.

Maddening that the times poo-poos all that the patient did to get herself into her dire condition AND writes about medical care, and emergency care in particular, from the perspective that it is a cost-free RIGHT for every human in who happens to be in the United States. this without any regard for the fact that those of us on THIS side of the fence are at the breaking point.

i will keep saying this because it is already happening, doctors will quit or will move themselves out of emergency care, nurses too, and we are not replaceable. medical care will then be unavailable to all but the rich, but it will at least be a right.